If you wake up tired every morning and witness chronic headaches right after you leave the bed, you can blame obstructive sleep apnea. This sleeping disorder happens when your breathing is interrupted while you are asleep.
While sleeping, your muscles tend to relax along with chest and throat muscles. When you have sleep apnea, this relaxation of muscles is combined with an interrupted airway.
If you have been suffering from these issues for a long time, you can visit your physician and get yourself tested for sleep apnea. However, you can consider an at-home sleep apnea test that is a cost effective approach to detect whether you have sleep apnea.
What is a Home Sleep Apnea Test?
A home sleep apnea test is a self-diagnosis process where you need to monitor your breathing, breathing effort, and oxygen levels.
You need to get a breathing monitor that helps in tracking your overnight breathing and sleep frequency. With overnight sleep studies, you can get a clear idea regarding your sleep issues.
It is important to note that people suffering from heart or other neuromuscular problems must take an overnight sleep study under expert supervision.
A Few Facts About At Home Sleep Apnea Test
Before taking the home sleep apnea test, you need to be aware of plenty of things.
#1 Monitors Breathing And Not Sleep
The first thing you need to be clear about is that this test only evaluates your breathing, not your sleep. It won’t help in analyzing the depth of tour sleep. Instead, this test will measure the absence and issues of your breathing and how much effort you have to make for it.
#2 A Doctor’s Prescription Is Needed
When you hear the term home sleep apnea test, things seem pretty simple. But, you can’t take this test at home without having a prescription from your doctor. It is not like the regular over-the-counter test that you can get from a chemist. Your physician or sleep technologist must prescribe it for you.
#3 Sensors Detect Breathing Pattern
The breathing monitor creates breathing patterns with the help of sensors. A small probe is attached to your finger to gauge the oxygen levels. A mask with tubes is inserted into your nostrils to sense the breathing patterns. There are some other sensors attached to your chest and abdomen to gauge the variations in your breathing.
#4 Cost-Effective Approach
Most of the at-home sleep apnea tests are used for a single night. Compared to tests at a clinic, these test kits are more cost-effective. To be precise, it is only two-thirds of the test cost at a lab. Also, you can cover the at-home sleep apnea test in your insurance as well.
#5 Convenient Option
One of the major highlights of a sleep apnea test is that you can take it in the comforts of your home. You don’t need to visit clinics every now and then. With this test, you can get accurate results without going out of your comfort zone. When you sleep in your own surroundings, the results will be highly accurate.
#6 Not A Complete Diagnosis
Before you take the test, it is important to understand that it is not a final diagnosis. Once you take the test, your results will be reviewed by your physician or sleep technologist. If your symptoms are still visible, they might suggest an in-lab study as well for a better diagnosis.
#7 Might Be Other Sleep Issues
Not all sleep issues are formed from breathing problems. Even after the test, it cannot be concluded that you have sleep apnea due to your breathing issue. If the results are normal, and you still witness symptoms, it would be helpful to seek advanced medical help that can help in detecting the actual cause.
The Bottom Line
Sleep apnea is a chronic sleeping disorder that can affect your breathing pattern and interrupt the airway. With a home sleep apnea test, you can easily detect whether you have sleep apnea or not. The above mentioned were some of the important facts you need to know about this disorder before taking the test. You must not rely on the results completely and always seek medical advice.